Constant level lubricating device



Aprili& 1933'. K. AOKI CONSTANT LEVEL LUBRIATING DEVIGE Filed April 8, 1931 Ihvehtor:

Ko'chi Aoki, g mm His Attorney.

Patented Apr. 18, 1933 i NHTEED STATES M N? emes KOICHI AOKI, or TOKYO, JAPAN, ASSIGNOR TOGENEBAL minerare COMPANY A .i

- i GoRPonATIoNoF NEW YORK i e r CONSTANT LEVEL LUBRICATING DEVICE Application filed April 8, 1931, Serial No. 528,(534, and in fapan 'May 21, 1930.

mospheric pressure from which flow of oil* to a hearing is regulated by a vent controllng the admisson of air to said reservor m response to drop in level of the oil feeding ed within the housing and eXtending through said hearing.

Constant level oil lubricating devices employing a casing comprising an oil storage reservoir and an oil supply chamber interconnected by vents and passages in a manner well known in the art for maintaining the oil level within the supply chamber constant have heretofore been constructed by a single casting with the result that air holes or other imperfections may exist in the casting causing failure or mperfect functioning of the oil feed. i

A principal object of my invention is the provision of an improved and simplified lubricating device of the character above referred to which shall requir-e a minimum number of parts and may be'constructed easily and at low cost.

My invention will be more fully set 'forth inthe following description referring to the accompanying drawing, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention Will be pointed out with particularity in the claim anneXed to and forming a part of this specification. r v

Referring to the drawing, Fig. l is an elevational cross-sectional view of a bearing lubricating device embodying my invention and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view further illustrating the structure shown in eferring to Fig. 1, the lubricating' devce embodying my invention comprises a housing structure 1 supporting the hearing 2 of the shaft 2' and provided with a partition 3 dividing the housing into an upper storage reservoir 4 and a lower oil supply chamber 5. The lubricating oil within the supply chamber 5 is normally maintained at the indicated level 6 and is fed to the hearing 2 in a manner well known in the art by absorbent material 6' placed within the well 7. The

housing structure 1 is formed' in anypreferred manner, as byvcasting or by welding the walls to form a fabricated structure* The passages and vents interconnecting the reservoir 4: and the chamber 5 'for admitting oil' to the lower chamber and controlling the oil level therein are formed in a unit co'n-, prising .aplug-like member or unit 8 mountthe partition 3 into the lower chamber 5 CD The unit 8 is mounted within the housing in any suitable manner, as by screw threaded engagement with the partition and walls of the housing as indicated. The unit is provided with a longitudinal bore 9 open at its, upper end to atmosphere and communicating at its lower end with the supply chamber 5, and, through the 'passage 10 with the lower part of the reservoir 4, as clearly illus trated in Fig; 1. Accordingly, the reservoirmaybe refilled in a well known manner by insertingva nozzle or filling pipe into the bore 9 closi-ng ofi communication with the Cham ber 5 to force oil through the passage 10 into the storage'reservoir.- Also, during normal operation of the lubricating device oil may flow from the reservoir 4 through the'passage 10 into the supply chamber 5. I i

For the purpose of maintaining substantially constant the oil level within thech'am ber 5 the unit 8 is also provided with a vent i ll, referrng to Fig. 2, communicating with the upper part of the storage reservoir lc and i the supply chamber 5. The vent 11 terminates at its lower end in an adjustable nipple 12, the position of the outlet of the nipple determining the oil level within the chamber 5. When the oil level drops below the nipple 12 admitting air through `the vent 11 to the upper part of the storage reservoir, oil there 0 in is free to flow by gravity through the passage 10 into the chamber 5 until the oil again rses to close the lower opening of the vent ll. Oil feed from' the reservoir tthereby ceases by reason of the partial vacuum above the oil I in the reservoir, the oil within the chanber 5 of course being subject to atmospheric pressure at all times.

In the construction above described, the unit 8 may be separately machined and drilled to form the oil feed passages and Vents and may be of superior quality to that of the housing l, thereby resulting in an improved lubricatng devce which, hoWeVer, may be construct-ed at low cost. It Will lkewse be noted that the only apertures within the-housing 1 are those required (for the nsertion of ;the unit 8, the opening in the lower Wall of the ,housing in fact being unnecessa y since the upper-wzillund' partiton3mayprovde-suitar e i ble support and mountng for the-unit which may simply rest on thebnttom 0.1" or eXtend into the supply chamber '5.

It should-be understooditlmt my nventon is not limited to specific details of Construc- `ton and `zrmngement` thereo' heren ;illustra ted, and rthat changes :and :moclications may occuto one-sllled;ntheant*Without departng'fronthe spirit Ofi1Y`-lIVGDlOL WVhatI claim as newandclesire to'secnre'by ,Letters Patent of 'the United "States, `is

A lubricating clevlice {for ;a hearing comp'isng la 'storage mese" 'r :containing oil below atmospherc "pressu'e, :wsuply chamber 'clisposecl `beneath said resenvoir for feeding oil to said hearing, znclnxplup''lke meinber nounted 'within saiclreservor ;and chamber, said member being provided [with 'zlongtuclnal 'bore normally conmunicating `With i ,atnosphere at one encl and` throughrcoinmuncatng passages With 'both the storage reser- ;Voir and the supply chamberat'theaotherend arranged so that sad reservoir maybe 'refilled cl reotly through saiclbore,xznd, *during 235 normal operation 'oil may feed 'on :said

reservoir` into said-supplyehanher; saclxmemrber likewsezbeing provdedwth a vent interconnecting said reservorsanclsupplyihanber causing feed of oil into said chanbe' onlyin 940 -responsive :to precleternined loweri'ngwof'the ?oil level the'en. r

Iwitnoss Whereof, :I haVeheretO setny han KOICHI .ASKI. 

